Safe at Home (Arndts) 3: No penguins were harmed in the making of this thread

[JermajestyDuggar]

I bet it's pretty easy for the guys to convince themselves they have it good. In their minds, if it's not broke, why fix it? It's all they know and none of the brothers have moved out and shown them that it's ok and they will be fine. So they live in a nice home, with brothers that are probably their closest friends, with a mom and sister who do their laundry and cook for them. Yet they still get to travel around as photographers and play softball all the time. From the outside looking in, they have nice lives. But it still makes you wonder why they don't want a lovelife of their own when they are constantly photographing couples who are in love.

[lilith]

9 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I bet it's pretty easy for the guys to convince themselves they have it good. In their minds, if it's not broke, why fix it? It's all they know and none of the brothers have moved out and shown them that it's ok and they will be fine. So they live in a nice home, with brothers that are probably their closest friends, with a mom and sister who do their laundry and cook for them. Yet they still get to travel around as photographers and play softball all the time. From the outside looking in, they have nice lives. But it still makes you wonder why they don't want a lovelife of their own when they are constantly photographing couples who are in love.

But SEX!!!! HOW do you suppress that drive in, not one, not two, but THIRTEEN boys/young men simultaneously?!?!? Ask teachers at boys boarding schools. Ask army seargents. Ask fucking Boy Scout leaders and parents of boys. HOW do you suppress that strong biological urge in one boy after another? All the adolescent boys I’ve ever known would trade clean laundry and Mama’s cooking for a good shot at second base in an instant. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

7 minutes ago, lilith said:

But SEX!!!! HOW do you suppress that drive in, not one, not two, but THIRTEEN boys/young men simultaneously?!?!? Ask teachers at boys boarding schools. Ask army seargents. Ask fucking Boy Scout leaders and parents of boys. HOW do you suppress that strong biological urge in one boy after another? All the adolescent boys I’ve ever known would trade clean laundry and Mama’s cooking for a good shot at second base in an instant. 

I agree. I have no idea how they suppress that urge. Maybe just keeping them busy helps? So they can't stop and think about it? I assume all of them are extremely virgin so they may not know what they are missing. But they still have that drive they have to suppress. I think we once saw a big grocery haul filled with protein drinks. Maybe copeous amounts of silent but deadlies keeps the lusting urges away?

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I was just trying to explain this family to someone....STILL no marriages! Even the Staddons are doing better.  I guess playing backyard  hockey (like my brother and I did at ages 7 and 11) is better than having a wife and family?

[Howl]

11 hours ago, lilith said:

But SEX!!!! HOW do you suppress that drive in, not one, not two, but THIRTEEN boys/young men simultaneously?!?!? Ask teachers at boys boarding schools. Ask army seargents. Ask fucking Boy Scout leaders and parents of boys. HOW do you suppress that strong biological urge in one boy after another? All the adolescent boys I’ve ever known would trade clean laundry and Mama’s cooking for a good shot at second base in an instant. 

Heh. The elephant giant penguin in the room at the Arndt borg. 

[Suz8710]

I won't lie, I'm intrigued by what would go on at Arndt prayer meetings (but not by phone... just seems weird, a livestream is one thing but conference call is another, imo)  - had anyone experienced that when the family did it in the past?? It seems like Rick is the only one really driving this thing -- at first when Famteam facebook was re-launched I thought the sons were involved a little bit but everything I see on here in the last year or so seems to be "Dad." that's kind of telling. 

I feel like the guys just let Dad run wild with his nostalgic fixes and maybe show their support via an occasional "like" from their personal fb accounts. The guys have to be too busy doing actual work - good on them. Who else is there to generate income? 

[usedbicycle]

Here's the trailer for Vine Valley and I still have no clue what it's about.

Is this supposed to be fiction? Are the Arndt actors playing themselves? Why is Rick lecturing the dating couple and the guy eating his sandwich? And for the love of christ, why do the characters keep falling?? I counted 9 falls in 3 minutes (yes, I have no life).

 

[formergothardite]

5 minutes ago, usedbicycle said:

Is this supposed to be fiction? Are the Arndt actors playing themselves? Why is Rick lecturing the dating couple and the guy eating his sandwich? And for the love of christ, why do the characters keep falling?? I counted 9 falls in 3 minutes (yes, I have no life).

Sadly, we will most likely not ever learn the answers to these questions because Vine Valley is the movie that will always be being filmed, but will never actually be finished. 

I think the actual plot is:

Atheist professor had a godly upbringing, but turned his back on it, writes book, travels to the country where he falls in the woods and gets hurt, godly woman with basket of food helps him, the community then shows him the love of God. 

Also, how did they get non-Arndt people to be in this movie?

[GeoBQn]

20 hours ago, Suz8710 said:

I won't lie, I'm intrigued by what would go on at Arndt prayer meetings (but not by phone... just seems weird, a livestream is one thing but conference call is another, imo)  - had anyone experienced that when the family did it in the past?? It seems like Rick is the only one really driving this thing -- at first when Famteam facebook was re-launched I thought the sons were involved a little bit but everything I see on here in the last year or so seems to be "Dad." that's kind of telling. 

I feel like the guys just let Dad run wild with his nostalgic fixes and maybe show their support via an occasional "like" from their personal fb accounts. The guys have to be too busy doing actual work - good on them. Who else is there to generate income? 

I'm guessing that they won't take the prayer request, "I pray that all of your children leave you and put you in a bottom-tier nursing home."

[formergothardite]

A bit of the plot of Vine Valley.

 

[onekidanddone]

26 minutes ago, usedbicycle said:

Here's the trailer for Vine Valley and I still have no clue what it's about.

Is this supposed to be fiction? Are the Arndt actors playing themselves? Why is Rick lecturing the dating couple and the guy eating his sandwich? And for the love of christ, why do the characters keep falling?? I counted 9 falls in 3 minutes (yes, I have no life).

What the hell did I just watch? This feels like a fever dream. Is there a plot? Who packs a picnic basket in a blizzard? I'm thinking he is telling the guy with the sandwich about the sins of gluttony and the couple about the evils of spending time with anybody other than family.

And yea, what is it with the falling.

[Howl]

Dear Rick, no teenager ever in the history of ever wears dorky glasses to seem older or more intellectual.  
And for heaven's sake and in the name of Rufus, ditch the white socks. 

And one has to question why Vine Valley is set in Maine.  Why, Rick, WHY?  

[Eternalbluepearl]

It looks like Vine Valley is somehow about their baseball team? I have no clue. 

[Elegant Mess]

And with all the scenes they have re-shot, how do they handle the aging of the actors, unless it's all stock footage?  Otherwise, Rick is going to be another Ed Wood.

[lilith]

27 minutes ago, Elegant Mess said:

And with all the scenes they have re-shot, how do they handle the aging of the actors, unless it's all stock footage?  Otherwise, Rick is going to be another Ed Wood.

That is exactly what I was going to say! All the “actors” have visibly aged in the years this endless shoot has gone on, but some of the kids have actually grown up starring in Vine Valley. How does that work?

[onekidanddone]

I tried to watch him explain the movie, and I just had to quit. Sweet Rufus that thing is what, 20 minutes long? This guy makes dust bunnies sound articulate. Anybody here remember the movie Eraser Head? Because it made more sense.

50 minutes ago, Elegant Mess said:

And with all the scenes they have re-shot, how do they handle the aging of the actors, unless it's all stock footage?  Otherwise, Rick is going to be another Ed Wood.

The dancing cheese puffs I saw when I was on morphine after knee surgery made more sense that this 'movie'.

[Howl]

30 minutes ago, lilith said:

All the “actors” have visibly aged in the years this endless shoot has gone on, but some of the kids have actually grown up starring in Vine Valley. How does that work?

They just start subbing in the younger brothers?

[Elegant Mess]

25 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

The dancing cheese puffs I saw when I was on morphine after knee surgery made more sense that this 'movie'.

The cheese puffs probably delivered a more compelling message, too. 

[JenniferJuniper]

Beyond the pumpkin bubble bath, I am very curious about the two bald twins sitting randomly in lawn chairs in the middle of the woods watching a manboy trip and fall over a branch.

It's so Stephen King or Twin Peaks-ish.  But I know it isn't meant that way.   

[IReallyAmHopewell]

18 hours ago, formergothardite said:

Sadly, we will most likely not ever learn the answers to these questions because Vine Valley is the movie that will always be being filmed, but will never actually be finished. 

I think the actual plot is:

Atheist professor had a godly upbringing, but turned his back on it, writes book, travels to the country where he falls in the woods and gets hurt, godly woman with basket of food helps him, the community then shows him the love of God. 

Also, how did they get non-Arndt people to be in this movie?

Is it a modern day Pilgrim's Progress maybe?

My friend (mentioned in my earlier post) went to the picture of them all on the FB (I think that's where) and they're all acting like elementary school kids in the  "goofy" picture. She couldn't believe they were "adults" in age. Me, either!

[Carm_88]

18 hours ago, Howl said:

They just start subbing in the younger brothers?

But eventually there will be no younger brothers. Will that be when Rick and Cathy let the ManBoys go a courtin'? 

[church_of_dog]

4 hours ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

Is it a modern day Pilgrim's Penguin's Progress maybe?

fixed that for ya.

[MarblesMom]

Another birthday in the bedroom - please stop doing this.  It is beyond weird.

[JenniferJuniper]

19 minutes ago, MarblesMom said:

Another birthday in the bedroom - please stop doing this.  It is beyond weird.

They have a perfectly good dining room.  I don't get the reason for piling into a relatively small master bedroom for cake and presents.  Not to mention the singing and dancing associated with an Arndt birthday. 

About 11 minutes in for those who don't know what I'm referencing.

Spoiler

 

 

[nokidsmom]

On 1/14/2018 at 10:27 AM, JenniferJuniper said:

He believes too much in strict gender roles to have stayed home and raised his kids. That's for mothers.  In the old videos though, I agree with a prior poster, they both seemed very patient and loving and seemed to very much enjoy the kids, even when they were throwing tantrums or otherwise acting up like normal little kids do.  I'd be shocked to learn they used any sort of physical punishment. And yet something went horribly wrong later on.

I watched the videos and wanted to comment.  Agree with others that Rick and Cathy are very loving and patient and they don't seemed at all fazed over the kids acting up.  I would be surprised if they used any sort of physical punishment either.

Something did go awry at some point.  IDK, but maybe Rick and Cathy are parents who do fine with their kids when they are little but couldn't evolve in their parenting as their kids grew up for whatever reason.   There were family who were concerned about the insularity, remembering the grandfather (Cathy's Dad?) who paid to send a couple of them to Catholic school.   But even that doesn't entirely make sense as they do allow the older ones to go out and work.  Maybe economic necessity forced them to loosen the reins to allow for working but in response they hang on tighter in other ways.  

I don't think Rick and Cathy deliberately set out to do this, consciously deciding to keep all of their kids at home.  But somewhere as the kids got older, something in both of them wanted to hang on to their kids, keep them close and never change.  And they have done it in such a (seemingly) benign way that none of the kids really want to change either.   As @HerNameIsBuffy pointed out, life is too pleasant at home.   Why give that up to go out into the cold, cruel world?

3 hours ago, MarblesMom said:

Another birthday in the bedroom - please stop doing this.  It is beyond weird.

Indeed.  I am all for family traditions but some things have to stop as kids age out of a "tradition"  or family activity that works with young maybe pre-teen children but becomes downright odd with older teenagers and adults.   I honestly don't know how the older guys can stand it enough to go along with it.  I remember my own parents' attempts at keeping things the same like my sisters and I were kids when we were not (example: camping trip from hell when I was 20) and I just absolutely hated it.   I just cringe for the older Arndt kids, in particular. 

I know it's possible to feel secondhand embarrassment but feeling secondhand cringing?  Never thought it possible until I learned about the Arndt family (and the Maxwells) for that matter.